Smash Comics Vol 1 16
Supporting Characters: * Adversaries: * Bela Jat * Shimego * Gar Other Characters: * Locations: * Items: * Vehicles: * | Appearing4 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * Mike Harvey Adversaries: * Big Tim Fink Other Characters: * Locations: * the Acme Electric plant Items: * Vehicles: * | Appearing2 = Featured Characters: * Supporting Characters: * Prof. James * Prof. Hill * Dr. Robb Adversaries: * Other Characters: * Locations: * Items: * Vehicles: * | Appearing5 = Featured Characters: * :* Supporting Characters: * Adversaries: * Turgin Other Characters: * Locations: * Items: * Vehicles: * | StoryTitle3 = Espionage, Starring Black X: "Invasion of Mexico" | Synopsis3 = "Three ocean liners bearing the colors of an oriental power" drop anchor, midstream in the Gaillard Cut of the Panama Canal, after quickly and methodically murdering their American pilots and military escorts, and then send troops ashore to cut communication lines. This unidentified oriental power has agents in Nicaragua, who now secretly control a supply of munitions there. In response to this amphibious invasion in Panama, Black X is dispatched to Mexico and told to watch out for the dangerous parachute troops. Soon, in Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico, by using the old "sombrero snoozer" gag, Black X overhears word that General Tsu Fee has set up shop there, and is awaiting two hundred parachute troops. -- That night Black X meets in a cantina with Senor Rod Pasquala of the Mexican Espionage; the felina-whirly dancer spots them as espionage agents and leaves them a note tipping them off to some rifles in the fort and a tunnel under the wall. Rod Pasquala recruits a bunch of peons and they meet Black X at the fort, and there IS a tunnel, and it's not a boobytrap; they steal a bunch of rifles and arm the local peons. Black X has a side-fight with some officer-uniformed enemy, grabs a submachine gun, and joins the main fight, as the paratroopers arrive from above. These guys all land in the same yard, in the fort, which leaves them bunched up all wrong, so Black X charges in and mows down a bunch of them, then a divebomber attacks that same yard, and all the paratroopers suddenly vanish plus stop shooting, and Black X wins a shoot-out with the divebomber, which is flying directly AT him when the pilot is killed, and Black X inexplicably is not annihilated in the ensuing crash. -- He then shinnies up the fort's flagpole, and continues to shoot it out with the paratroopers, until the rifled-up peons arrive. Black X bends back the flagpole and uses it to fling himself out of the fort, just before the peons get into the fort, and just AS Black X's burning fuse (not mentioned nor shown until now) sets off the powder in the armory, discombobulating the paratroops, who then get quickly overrun by the peons. This news frees up the rest of the Mexican Army to swing into a devastating counterattack, elsewhere, against the still-not-identified invaders. Later, back at the cantina in Pachuca, Black X and Rod Pasquala share a toast, then per the caption, it's "Months later in Washington," and the Major has a new job for Black X... * Internal and previous timeline evidence in the Black X series suggest that this story takes place circa 1940-Aug. * In this episode of "Espionage," Batu again is absent. | Editor3_1 = | Writer3_1 = Will Eisner | Penciler3_1 = Dan Zolnerowich | Inker3_1 = Dan Zolnerowich | Colourist3_1 = | Letterer3_1 = | Appearing3 = Featured Characters: * Black X Supporting Characters: * Col. Atwater Adversaries: * General Tsu Fee, in background, unseen * hundreds of soldiers of an unidentified seagoing oriental power Other Characters: * Rod Pasquala, of the Mexican Espionage Locations: * Panama Canal * Pachuca, Hidalgo, Mexico Items: * Vehicles: * | Notes = * In Quality Comics' comic books of 1940 and 1941, the Mongolians were a military threat rivaling that of Japan. ** In Crack Comics (#12), the Red Torpedo fought Mongolese submariners and aviators in the western Pacific Ocean. ** In National Comics (#1, etc.), Wonder Boy fought a vast army of invading Mongolians on the eastern frontier of Europe. * In this issue's episode of "Espionage," Central America is invaded by an unidentified seagoing oriental power. This is Earth-X; where Mongolia has already emerged as a military superpower. General Tsu Fee has a Chinese-looking name, which while not Mongolian is also not Japanese. * Also featured in this issue of Smash Comics were: ** Purple Trio: "Mystery of the Empty Theatre", by Alex Blum ** Chic Carter: (Mystery in the Bayou), by Vernon Henkel ** Scarlet Seal: (Origin of the Scarlet Seal), by Manning de Villeneuve Lee ** Abdul the Arab: (The Sheik's Power Play), by Bob Powell ** Wings Wendall: "The Fifth Column", by Vernon Henkel | Trivia = | Recommended = | Links = * Smash Comics #16 entire issue }}